Reigning MotoGP World Champion Jorge Lorenzo defied the experts today and set his record-breaking 36th pole position on only his second lap with the Michelin tyres that are supposed to need some time to come up to full working temperature.
The Movistar Yamaha man, who is thought to be in talks with Ducati for a 2017 move, blasted to a 1’54.543 that no-one else cold match although he was only a tenth quicker than Marc Marquez.
Lorenzo has yet to decide between the two rear tyre compounds for tomorrow but says there is little to choose between the two as fast laps can be set on both with plenty of wear.
“We have a little advantage tomorrow and it’s always good to start with the little metres that give you more confidence that you can do a good start. We are improving a little bit and as a rider I try to adapt to my best because with the electronics are the same for everyone and you cannot do so much improvement,” said Lorenzo, speaking in Qatar.
“For sure, it’s going to be important tomorrow to choose the best tyres for the conditions and the rear tyre will be important tomorrow on the first laps and also for the long race.
“The juice of the rear tyre especially will be very important tomorrow, so we are still have to decide which one we are going to use. But I think they are quite similar and don’t change so much and with both you can do a good race if you are competitive, so let’s see.”
